8,000 coats for Baton Rouge Kids

BATON ROUGE - Thousands of children now have new jackets from Pat's Coats for Kids.

Pat Shingelton's coat drive is in its 25th year in Baton Rouge. He and a large group of volunteers spend five months getting names and sizes for coats. On distribution day, the coats find the kids that love them.

"They're excited about the colors, they're excited about the hats, when they're out on the playground they'll be talking about the coats they have and where they got the coats which will be from pats coats for kids," explained Cathy Holden, Director of Freeman Matthews Head Start. "Some of the parents are unemployed, we have a lot of single mothers, single dads, and that would help them a lot to know that someone cared enough about their child to give them a coat."

One parent says the look on her daughter's face when she put on her coat, was priceless.

"She has small jackets but they're starting to go up her arm but you know. To get a big jacket like that, to keep her warm, especially with this crazy weather, we appreciate it a whole bunch," said Ashleah DeSelle, whose child goes to Freeman Matthews. "We've donated to Pat's Coats for Kids before, and so to see it in action now is pretty amazing."

Pat says 8,000 coats were donated to more than 100 local schools this year.